Bomb attack kills at least 15 Shia Muslims in northwest Pakistan

Pakistani rescuers and security personnel gather at a bomb blast site in Peshawar. (file photo)

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At least 15 people, mostly Shia Muslims, have been killed and 55 others severely injured after a powerful bomb attack in Pakistan's northwestern Parachinar town close to the Afghan border, Press TV reports.
Officials and local sources told Press TV that the bomb was planted in a car, which went off in Kashmir Chowck near Turi market on Monday.
The death toll is expected to rise as most of the injured are said to be in critical condition.
The government forces have imposed a curfew in the Shia-majority town.
Located about 290 kilometers (180 miles) west of the capital Islamabad, Parachinar is the main town in the Kurram Agency tribal region and is considered a main base for the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistan's pro-Taliban militants have launched a violent campaign against Shia Muslims over the past years. According to local sources, militants affiliated to Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorist groups have killed hundreds of Shia Muslims in the region since the start of the campaign.
The country’s Shia leaders have called on the government to form a judicial commission to investigate the bloodshed.
The killing of Shias has caused international outrage, with rights groups and regional countries, including Iran, expressing concern over the ongoing deadly violence.
MS/PG/JR/AZ